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Ok, I've just started making a Movie Space Marine force. For those of you who don't know, this is the marines according to the fluff where they are invincible leviathans who need not eat, sleep or breath, can survive in a vacuum, have extra hearts, fire explosive rounds from their bolters etc.

A 1500 point army consists of Ten Marines and a Rhino.

So my purpose is to make ten marines look extravagant. Part of this is to make them each very individual. No marine is going to wear his helmet, each is going to have a scenic show base, and lots of extra details are going to be added. I've been looking through some of the fluff pictures, and a lot of them have trophies and details on marines that doesn't show up in the minis.

Now, right now I'm thinking about making them Dark Angels because the armor patterns for DA veterans are often varied between white and green, and the Leopard pelts would look great.


To be clear, I plan to sculpt a new head for ten space marines, and add lots of detail via green and grey stuff. No suggestion is too much work, and I'll use any I deem groovy enough.


Also, one of the space marines (armed with a bolter) is called a "dude." He is equipped like all of the other marines, but I will need something to make him stand out a little more.

What makes the "dude"different? You could use head swaps from the variety of small-batch sculptors advertised and discussed here at Dakka, which might take some of the work out of making your own heads.

The new Vanguard Veterans look like they've got quite a bit of detail. You could also try to find some LoTD shoulderpads, which have some really cool and very individual icons.

Things like using different variations of bolters for each one would be cool. Like old school for one, current for another, and deathwatch for yet another. Also stuff like enemy heads hanging from the belts would be ace. And if they dont have there helmets on it always looks good then they are carrying them or have them on there belts somehow.

Oh! And one last thing. Stuff like maybe markings on there armor of kills or something would be cool.

Going along Manowar's idea, I think the trophy heads should be used to really emphasize the stature of the Marines. Here's a chance to put those scale issues to rest.

I like the idea of DA, always were my favourite chapter and can't understand the flak they get on here, especially when the Emperors Children exist in all their pink extravagance. I'd play up the old Navajo feathers idea that has been minimalised on the plastic kit. I first saw these back in 1995 (?) when the metal deathwing were released. Perhaps an underlying Native American theme would give the whole project a solid twist, and would also contrast nicely with the Christian monk element which is so crucial to the DA imagery.

Just an idea, feel free to poo poo.

Best of luck; I'm sure they will look great.

id say for the DUDE give him a really good looking 5'oclock shadow. DUDES always have that "i just woke up, but everything is friggin AWESOME" look to them. and seeing as your making that yourself, itd look way cooler then just painting the gruff

The sarge needs power sword and BP, just so you can give him a really cool sheild. There are quite a few bits in the witch hunter's vehicle excessories I could see coming in handy for this, not to mention things like cherubs.

I'd like to see a plasma cannon as the heavy weapon more than anything; but one of the old, rediculously bulky one-handed ones!

Also, rivets.

Also also, which method are you going to use to scale them up? The chaos warrior legs thing looks great, but converting terminator armour back into power armour could work wonders also...

Also also also, how big is the Rhino going to be?

The dude, or duder or dudemiester or duderino, should be wearing large sun glasses and have a short beard and straggly hair. He should also be wearing a hawian shirt and carrying a rug over his shoulder. A high-five if you get the reference.

I'd try and convert Heavy Bolters in such a way they're true-grit'ing them.

I think this is an awesome idea, and something I've always thought about... it is a shame that there's such a discrepancy between the artwork and the minis. I think the single biggest thing you can do (besides all the greeblies) is to fix the proportions of the models. The legs need to be longer, the shoulder pads larger (longer), the torsos longer, and the heads smaller to give them a more hulking and imposing look. Can't wait to see pics!

ok the dude...(coen brothers? big labowski?-which cant be spelled right...can it?).. stubble, cigar (glowing end) and smoke,narled ear and scar over eye from the shark attack whilst surfing.

other ideas, servo skulls floating obove the shoulders of the marines, plugged into there heads/armour

master crafted weapons dripping with anointment oils

all bear heads MUST have at least one wire/pipe connection to the armour thats plugs in.

tattoos on head/necks

trip-tic belt buckles with painted scenes of war

scanner in the hand of one marine highly detailed screen with light shining onto marines hand/arm and up on face (if you can pull it off.....i know i cant lol)

flamer, with ignition flame burning, ready to ignite the fuel

pets? hawks, tigers....ohh..snow tigers?

silver studds on foreheads for every ten years service (i think it was one for every ten years anyway)

unusual hand weapons, knives from different parts of human history (curved symitars etc) to represent spoils of war/artifacts

runes/symbols on all weapons,

line drawings of 'famous' chapter events on shoulder pads (like the ultramarine calgar land raider)

any of them?

phill

Smashotron wrote:The dude, or duder or dudemiester or duderino, should be wearing large sun glasses and have a short beard and straggly hair. He should also be wearing a hawian shirt and carrying a rug over his shoulder. A high-five if you get the reference.

lol your forgetting about the white russian! and a bowling ball for a CC weapon

Just so everyone knows, Movie Space Marines aren't nearly as customizable as a normal tactical squad.

HQ - 1 Space Marine Sergeant (Bolt Pistol and Chain Sword)
Elite - 0-1 The Dude (or Brother Veteran Lebowski) (Bolter and Combat Knife)
Troops- 0-6 Marines (Bolters and Combat Knives)
Fast Attack- 0-1 Rhino or Razorback (Twin Linked Lascannon)
Heavy Support- 0-1 Missile Launcher, 0-1 Flamer (also with Combat Knives)


Not a lot of customization available. Mind though, a Chain Sword is a power weapon here, Bolters are Str 6 Assault 4 Rending Weapons and Flamers have a range of 24". Oh, and the normal marines' combat knives are also rending. And ten men and one rhino equals exactly 1500 points.

-Oh, the feathers will have to be there, won't they. That's a good idea. And a Cigar is unavoidable, but I think I'd rather have it on the Flamer marine (I'm sure he lights it with the flame thrower).
-Legion of the Damned shoulder pads sound good, and the concept works well with DA. Yeah, I could attach the bones of a saint to someone's shoulder. Then again, I do have those Skeleton bits lying around.
-Trophy heads are good too. At least one marine will be taking Ork heads for sure now.
-You know, I kind of need a token black guy to fit the "movie" theme. Maybe he could be the dude? Or the dude could have old Mark 1 armor sunglasses?


Although I appreciate the idea to use other seller's heads, I am resolved to sculpt my own. That way no one else will have marines that look like mine.



Great ideas, keep 'em coming.

odinsgrandson wrote:Or the dude could have old Mark 1 armor sunglasses?

That is a good idea, I might have to steal it. Don't forget to do up some Stunt Doubles!

Two words: Vortex Grenade.

The Dude's base needs a rug, you know, it would really bring the room, uh, squad, together.

Chapter logos would be a must, I think, along with other tactical marks.

These would be "true scaled" right?

If you sculpt the heads, at least one must be screaming. It's just what space marines do.

I'm looking forward to seeing these.

theHandofGork wrote:If you sculpt the heads, at least one must be screaming. It's just what space marines do.

wow



anyway...
standing with one foot on a dark eldar or tyranid head or something
glowing lcd displays (or whatever kind of glowey gak that have in the future)
any i second the tattoos and silver studs and big gnarly cigar for the dude

Since this isn't designed to be tourney legal or anything, put your Vet Sgt in termitator armor and trick him out like some sort of chapter master. Put an apothecary in the group, too.

odinsgrandson wrote:Just so everyone knows, Movie Space Marines aren't nearly as customizable as a normal tactical squad.



Not a lot of customization available. Mind though, a Chain Sword is a power weapon here, Bolters are Str 6 Assault 4 Rending Weapons and Flamers have a range of 24". .

I remembered, that's why I suggested TrueGrit'ing Heavy Bolters.

Dude needs a wikkid scar running across his eye...but no bionics...just badass. And Rambo style combat knife

make them all true scale so there slightly bigger
give one of them a hell of a lot of bionics like legs arms etc (the dude)
give the special weapons teams a unique rig like turn a flamer to a heavy flamer
if you use a flamer the guy weilding it has to have a cigar and be black (opening of starcraft broodwar)
have them all in unique posses using trophies like give one of them a necklace made out of ears or something
have the front of there armour be battle scarred and dented but have there backs near pristine (they always face there enemy)

Sounds glorious, but I havent ever heard of these? Am i under a rock?

Where are the rules for these warriors?

The rules for them first appeared in White Dwarf #300 (a super-sized issue of WD). They can be found Online in PDF format, but I wouldn't know much about that.
http://www.richyp.com/Documents/MovieMarines.pdf
I believe this is the UK version. It calls the Dude a "Hero" and lists space marines as two meters tall rather than seven foot.

JediRaptor wrote:Dude needs a wikkid scar running across his eye...but no bionics...just badass. And Rambo style combat knife

Oh, I like that. Hey, I could even make one eye completely white (like he'd lost sight in one eye from the injury). That's good stuff.

I'm not sure if I will be using Stunt Doubles at all. They just seem really over the top powerful, and don't really fit the fluff very well. Well, I'll try them out, and if they make my force too good, I'll just stop taking them.

Make the special weapons unique. I like that. I can put a prometheum pack on the back of the flamer marine, but I don't know what I can do to pimp out the Missile Launcher.

An apothicary is a good idea. I'll do that.

So far I've created scenic bases for all my minis. They are on 40mm show bases (with the black rim around the outside, like Dark Age or Warmachine use). i've got a lot of Dawn of War and Gears of War inspired terrain there (and one dead ork for a trophy taker marine, probably my dude).

Keep the ideas coming though, this thread is really helping.

Oh, I like that. Hey, I could even make one eye completely white (like he'd lost sight in one eye from the injury).

"Is that scratch going to keep you from battle, Captian?"

"Nay sire, tis merely an eye. The Lord Emperor sought fit to bless me with two."

Really, what does he need depth perception for anyway?

Ok, I have the bases mostly done. I've only sculpted one head so far, and most of the marines don't have arms yet.

This is a long term project. I'm starting to see something like this as continuing being a hobbyist even when I do miniatures for a living. They don't need to get done right away.

So far though, my sergeant has a liontari, chains, feathers and a new cloth tabbard. I'm going to add a bit more (He needs rivets and purity seals) but he's coming along fine.

The Flamer marine has his hand up like he's holding a cigar. I'll be adding that soon.

Update!

Ok, I've started the marines in earnest. This project is supposed to take me a long time (and my home computer is on the fritz) so it might take a while before I get some pictures to you lot.

I decided against doing the True Scale on the marines. I looked over a few tutorials on it, and I'm just impressed enough with the results. Rather, I'm going to mount each marine on a large (and high) base so that they can appear very large and menacing. I've done all the bases, and have at least the base legs and torso of a marine on each.

So, the sergeant is mostly done. He has a bionic arm, a scare over his left eye and an animal pelt (Probably going to be lion). I also sculpted some chains to tie the pelt on, and some extra bits on his armor. He's not getting any facial hair or hair on his head (it is part of his station). The other marines will all have some hair to make them each look distinct from one another. I still need to add the wire hookup between the sergeant's head and armor.

I'm pretty sure I'll be painting him up for a competition towards the end of this month, and that means that I'll be able to post him after that.



The dude is standing on a decapitated ork's body, with the head in one hand. I'm giving him a chainsaw bayonet and two more ork head trophies tied to his back.

I have another marine that I'm basing on an older fluff picture. A space marine has a broken sword in one hand, his bolter in the other, and the Codex Astartes tied to his chest. He also has some bones tied to one shoulder. This guy is going to look good!

Another one is a cyborg (both arms are bionic). What's going to make him very cool will be the face. I want to give him two bionic eyes and a screaming expression.

I'm kind of doing each of them as inspiration hits me, so I'm wondering around a lot. Its working right now though.